


Four Seasons (Total Landscaping) For Love

by 1Temmie_Official1



Series: Eric's ATLA One Shots [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, American Politics, Aromantic Jet (Avatar), Badass Suki (Avatar), Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Brown Haired Yue (Avatar), Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eric Projects Onto Sokka, Four Seasons Total Landscaping AU, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Don't Even Know, I do not like the cheeto that is/was our president and I don't hold back from that fact, I gave mei daddy issues because let's be honest they probably do, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Lesbian Mai (Avatar), Lesbian Yue (Avatar), Multi, Multiple Relationships, Nonbinary Mai (Avatar), POV Multiple, Politics, Polyamory, Rated T for swearing, Sokka gets comforted take that babey, Trans Azula (Avatar), Trans Sokka (Avatar), Trans Zuko (Avatar), Useless Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Why Did I Write This?, a lot more than expected too damn, for once we aren't having zuko be the uwu soft boy needing to be comforted take that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27529348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Temmie_Official1/pseuds/1Temmie_Official1
Summary: Four Seasons Total Landscaping, Fantasy Island Book Store, Delaware Valley Cremation Center, Sunoco Gas Station. Long ago, these four establishments lived in harmony.Then, everything changed when the D*n*ld Tr*mp press conference attacked.AKAFour Seasons Total Landscaping AU with four ships to match.
Relationships: Azula/Jin (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Yue/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Yue (Avatar), technically - Relationship
Series: Eric's ATLA One Shots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943566
Comments: 20
Kudos: 63





	Four Seasons (Total Landscaping) For Love

**Author's Note:**

> I took inspiration from i_love_your_light 's fic and decided to make my own version. I pulled a few details from there (sorry) but I hope I did well!
> 
> Disclaimer: I have never been to Four Seasons Total Landscaping before, this will not be accurate to the area.

**Sokka**

Living on the outskirts of Philly really wasn't that interesting. Especially at a no-name landscaping company, it was uneventful. At least _Katara's_ boyfriend was a prodigy in animal conservation while Katara was working as a hydraulics specialist. No, it was rude to diss Aang, Aang was a sweet guy and honestly was Sokka's best friend. Plus, Sokka's boyfriend who worked at the gas station down the street was cute (though that didn't redirect from Sokka's love for his girlfriend). The company phone rang at Sokka's desk. Ugh, Sokka hated the phone, he reached over and saw the caller-ID wasn't one with the Philly area code. Sighing, he answered. (Little did he know that this was one of the key events that would change his life forever, or at least a lot.) "Hello-"

"Is this Four Seasons Philidelphia?"

Sokka relaxed, just another teenager asking about if it was the posh hotel similarly named for kicks and giggles. This was probably a prank call. Surprising, they usually laughed earlier, Sokka was impressed with the dedication, the acting was on point. Well, Sokka was bored anyway, he would humour this guy. "Yes."

"I am scheduling a press conference for Saturday." Sokka's brow furrowed. Was this guy serious? Most of the work-related calls they got were from people who wanted, ya know, landscaping. At least the prank caller could have asked for a room, would have made more sense. Still, not one to pass up an opportunity to have fun and/or slack off on the slow days of the job, Sokka continued.

"Okay, we have an area out in front of the garage. You'll have to bring your own supplies though, the podiums we have are put away because of COVID-19, sanitation purposes. We're 7347 State Road, Philidelphia." He said, hoping that the laughter in his voice wouldn't show.

"We can bring our own podiums." This guy was awfully old for a prank caller, maybe that was just his voice though, Sokka wasn't one to judge. "We'll arrive at 11."

"Yeah, okay, see you tomorrow," Sokka said just as the prank caller hung up. Rude. Didn't even bother to give an apology for wasting his time or at least admit it was a prank call. But the phone rang again, and Sokka quickly forgot about the prank call. (He didn't know the event that had transpired, pieces falling into place.)

**Mei**

Working at a crematorium was usually uneventful. It was a crematorium, what were people to expect? Most of the people there were dead, that made for fewer feelings and less bitchy customers. Plus, they could be as goth as they wanted without it being 'too gloomy'. The only person there who wasn't either sad or Mei was Ty Lee, Mei's crush. Ty Lee did not belong here, not at all. Ty Lee literally had worked at the circus, and it was written all over her with her pink outfits and cheerful personality. She loved hanging out with kids, probably more suited for the church camp-thing across the street. She deserved it, to be a spotlight of hope and joy where it made sense to be. It was weird. Maybe it was because she was good at consoling people? Mei didn't know.

Mei's phone buzzed in their pocket. 

_Father_

Oh, dear. Mei's heart thumped against their chest as they swiped open the message. Hopefully, it wasn't a homophobic tirade.

_There is a Trump press conference across the street from you. I will be here to say hello to my favourite daughter and my favourite president._

Mei felt tears sting at their eyes. If the rotten piece of shit that somehow conned his way into being president allegedly being across the street wasn't bad enough, their father misgendering them stung worse. Using she/her as pronouns were tolerable, Mei didn't mind if people use she/her or they/them anyway, but they definitely didn't like being called daughter or girl. They were nonbinary, not female. Their father knew this.

Wait a minute. Sokka worked across the street. They quickly opened their phone to Twitter as the dread pooled in their stomach. Four Seasons Total Landscaping.

 **Four Seasons Hotel Philidelphia at Comcast Center** _@FSPhilidelphia_ • 10m

To clarify, President Trump's press conference will NOT be held at Four Seasons Hotel Philidelphia. It will be held at Four Seasons Total Landscaping— no relation to the hotel.

̡□1.9k ⮔6.3k ♡ 24.1k

Well, fuck.

**Sokka**

Sokka pulled out his phone and idly opened Twitter. Oh, Tr*mp was active. Sokka smirked, what was the Orange Cheeto-Fucker doing now?

 **Donald J. Trump** _@realDonaldTrump_ • 12m

Lawyers Press Conference at Four Seasons, Philidelphia. 11:00 A.M.

|

 **Donald J. Trump** _@realDonaldTrump_ • 4m

Four Seasons Landscaping!

|

 **Donald J. Trump** _@realDonaldTrump_ • 2m

Big press conference today in Philidelphia at Four Seasons Total Landscaping — 11:30am!

̡□2.1k ⮔4.3k ♡ 13.6k

Sokka's eye traced over those four words over and over. _Four Seasons Total Landscaping_. That wasn't a prank call. "FUCK!" Sokka screamed. He was way too bisexual for this. How could he accidentally support a fascist president? He started panicking. Oh, fuck he was going to be here. At his workplace.

"What is it, Sokka?" June, the _bisexual trans woman of colour who owned the business_ asked. "That doesn't sound like a good 'fuck'."

Sokka buried his head in his hands. "Hey, so I kind of fucked up?" Sokka said. Fucked up was an understatement.

"What do you mean?" June asked. "Did you charge someone the wrong amount?"

"Worse."

"Listen," June started, going off into her familiar turn of phrase. "You can't fuck up more than the Dreamsicle has." Sokka was too stressed to laugh at the irony.

Sokka didn't answer for a moment. "What would you say if I accidentally invited the Cheeto himself for a press conference here?" He met her eyes.

June frowned in confusion. "That's... oddly specific, I mean-" She cut herself off as Sokka shoved his phone, open with the Tweets showing, at her. "Oh FUCK!" She screamed. She sighed, inhaled, exhaled. "Okay. Okay. So the fucker I can barely handle is here. Okay." She inhaled, exhaled once more. "Okay, Sokka, you have the rest of the day off, I'll deal with that son of a bitch- I mean our _wonderful_ president."

Sokka packed up his stuff into his backpack, quickly remembering to remove his bisexual pin as well. "I'll go to Zuko, he and his sister should be at the gas station right about now. This place is about to be crawling with conservatives." He shivered. "I hope none of them try to recruit Zuko or me for the military. Luckily we're legally exempt. Oh, fuck he's going to be here in an hour."

June shoved him out the door. "Get outta here, I'll take care of it."

-

**Suki**

Suki found out the news just as her girl-crush burst through the door. (Yeah, Sokka and Zuko were open to a fourth person in the relationship, what are you gonna do about it?) "Suki! We're all meeting up at the Sunoco, I already texted Mei and Ty Lee. Hurry up!" Yue said. She was understandably worried, Yue was Inuit and lesbian and Tr*mp supporters were almost always nine out of ten times racist and homophobic. Suki slung her bag over her shoulder, shoving her phone in her pocket.

"Got it. Let's bounce." Suki hoped her dramatic makeup would distract from the inherent bisexuality of a tied crop-top and cuffed jeans. The walk to the gas station was tense. Yue at one point grabbed her hand. Suki gripped it back. People with Tr*mp flags were already gathering, multiple news vans as well. They walked faster and didn't look back.

They pushed through the door. Sokka was panting as if he had run there. Zuko was restocking the energy drinks in the corner stressfully. The bell over the door had barely finished chiming before Jet, the other cashier, spoke up.

"Okay, what the hell is happening." Jet frowned around his stick of mouth wheat. "First, that guy" he jabbed a thumb at where Sokka was frantically texting probably Katara or Aang. "Comes barging in and says that the rotten Cheeto is coming, whatever the fuck that means, then _you two_ come in and-" Jet narrowed his eyes at them. "Why aren't you wearing your bi pride pins? Come to think of it why isn't Sokka? Is today national homophobes and/or transphobes day?"

Suki laughed humourlessly, leaning against the shelves. "I wish. You might want to take off your aromantic pin-"

"Hey, I might be the only person that younger queer people meet like them-" Jet interrupted.

Suki cut him off. "Because the 45th president is coming to Four Seasons Total Landscaping to give a press conference."

Jet shut up and took off his pin, putting into the pocket of his jeans. He sighed. "Of course, all the white, racist, and homophobic people are going to have a field day." He took off his name tag. "How come when _I_ , a Philipino aromantic guy, commit vigilante justice it's 'against the law' and 'illegal', but when _Batman_ -" Saved by the bell, almost at the same time, Mei, Ty Lee, Azula, and Jin walked in.

"What the fuck happened, Zuko?" Was the first thing Azula snapped, so angry she didn't even use the familiar nickname. "I come here, almost get punched for wearing my trans shirt- had to convince another imbecile it was a straight flag- and now the streets are infested with filth!" She marched up to Zuko, a manicured nail pointed angrily in his face. "Don't make me sic Jin on you." To emphasize, Jin cracked her knuckles. Zuko was sweating nervously.

"I fucked up," Sokka admitted. "I thought it was a prank call, now the Cheeto we call the president may or may not be having a press conference at my workplace..?" Sokka trailed off nervously. Something dawned on him and started laughing. Yue glanced at Suki.

"Is it okay?"

"Fuck if I know."

Sokka was now hysterically laughing. "Guys-! I think that-! Like, I think they thought we were the Four Seasons- like the luxury hotel." Suki couldn't help but snort at the notion. Then the reality sank in. The president. Of the United States. Was going to be at her boyfriend's workplace.

Jet, ever the slightly-older adult, took hold of the situation. "Okay, pride pins off, jackets on, vigilante justice time-"

Suki cut him off again. "Sorry, Jet, my turn with the brain cell. Pride pins definitely go off, no vigilante justice... yet. Workday ain't over so we all hide out here until Orange-face is gone. We are not going to panic, and we are going to stay calm." At least at this point, everyone didn't look like they were about to faint.

Sokka raised his hand. Suki sighed. "Sokka, this isn't elementary school."

"I know but I... is it weird I want to write the stream?" He paused. "For science purposes." Suki could _hear_ Mei rolling their eyes. There was an overall air of disappointment. Yue from next to Suki sighed deeply, mumbling about how "can't believe I liked him". _Me too, Yue._

Azula slapped her forehead. "I haven't done that in more than a year. Congrats, Sokka, you made me break my streak." Sokka put up his hands in surrender.

"Hey! It's for science I swear!"

Mei gave a deep and long sigh. "I'm going to vibe in the back, invite me back when Sokka's done being stupid." Suki was inclined to agree.

-

**Mei**

The back part of the gas station was quieter. Cars were driving by. Mei felt bad, worse than they would have liked. Their father was here. He wanted to see them. They took a breath. In. Out. In. Out. They leaned up against the wall, collecting their thoughts. Focus on the cars, the cold on their face, the feeling of their hair being pressed against the wall, probably messing up the two small buns they had put up. Anything but the man who was so keen on destroying their life.

They really didn't want to see their father right now.

The heavy door opened. "Hey, Mei." Oh. It was Ty Lee, her pink puffy coat for the colder weather bundling her. Ty Lee looked like the type of person weather wouldn't affect, as if her sunny attitude would somehow defy the chills of December. She was always untouchable, floating a foot off the ground because her personality always lifted people up. Like fairy lights strung up on helium clouds, warm and bright.

The opposite of Mei, who was a lead balloon, dark and poisonous and heavy. If Ty Lee was the sun, then Mei was a comet, icy and distant, lost in darkness with only the memory of heat and comfort before being torn away and thrown back into the cold depths of space.

Mei sighed, no time for musings. There were many more serious problems at hand. "Hey." They greeted. "Why are you out here?" They pulled up their dark red scarf higher over their face. They weren't cold, instead, they were burning. Burning like Icarus who couldn't bear to crash into the sea so he threw himself into the sun. Poetic.

"I came here to check on you." Ty Lee went down the steps to stand beside Mei. She leaned up against the wall as well, casually adjusting her ponytail so it wouldn't be as affected by the brick walling. She scrutinized Mei's sullen expression. Ty Lee had always been able to read her so well. "Are you okay? You seem... off." Ty Lee waved vaguely in the air. "Your aura's all off, sometimes you're pink but today you're... grey."

That was accurate. Mei had always been a grey cloud in other people's day, of course, Ty Lee would pick up on that. They decided to tell the truth. "It's my dad. He's going to the conference."

Ty Lee 'hmph'd. "That's rude. He's just an overall jerk, makes sense that he supports that Fanta-can of a president." She joked, trying to get a laugh out of Mei. Mei let go of the urge to hide her emotions and gave a small smile.

"Yeah." Why was she here? Couldn't she let Mei be?

"I mean, you're a wonderful person." Ty Lee continued. Mei was confused, where was she going with this? "You care about people in your own way, you're smart, beautiful, you aren't afraid to help people." Ty Lee tilted her head towards Mei with a smile. "I'm lucky to call you a friend."

Mei quickly darted their gaze away from Ty Lee as they blushed as pink as her jacket. Maybe Ty Lee was the sun, Mei could never look at her directly, ached for her when she was gone, but sometimes when the light was right the full beauty of her was revealed and Mei wondered why she doubted herself in the first place. The final statement's wording caught up with her. Friend. Mei should have known, Ty Lee could never like her they did her, the same way the cold loves the warmth, the way that Hyacinth loved Apollo.

Mei snuck a glance at Ty Lee, who had been studying their face. She looked nervous. Strangely nervous. "Maybe more."

More than- _oh_. Mei turned their face toward Ty Lee's. Unconsciously, their eyes darted to the girl's lips, shining and tainted pink with lip gloss. "Can I..." oh fuck oh shit oh fuck. "Can I kiss you?" They breathed in a rush.

Ty Lee nodded. "Yes."

Kissing someone was a new feeling. Physically, it was simply the touching of lips, softness and warmth. Emotionally it was fireworks in the night, so many things all at once it grew to a crescendo until all Mei could focus on was the feeling of Ty Lee's lips against theirs, burning so much that Mei thought they had ascended to heaven if such a place existed.

"Mei." Ty Lee's voice was their saviour, taking them away from the panic and fear of the outside world.

"Ty Lee." Her name was a prayer against Mei's lips.

"I think I kind of like you."

Mei grinned, truly grinned for the first time in so long. "I think I kind of like you too."

-

**Zuko**

Sokka seemed off. He was fidgeting, tapping hands on the ground, bouncing his leg, gripping his stress ball, repeating the actions over and over. Zuko wasn't one to criticize the fidgeting, he often did similar things when stressed or bored, but Sokka seemed... even more stressed than normal.

"Sokka," Zuko spoke in a calm, steady voice. Yue, who had been fiddling with the platinum blonde tips of her brown hair looked over at them.

Yue glanced between them. "I'll just uh, get water."

Zuko flicked his eyes to Sokka, who shook his head. "Yeah, uh, hang out with Suki or something. I can take care of Sokka."

Sokka sighed. "Zuko, I'm fine." Sokka visually attempted to stop his fidgets. "See?" He did not notice that his leg was bouncing. Zuko sighed.

"Sokka. It's okay, you can talk about it." Zuko sat beside Sokka, attempting to provide comfort. Sokka exhaled a shaky breath.

"I don't know it's just... the election. I just... feel like he's going to win again. That all the stuff that we've worked for, all the advocating, the telling people to vote, the effort... that it'll be for nothing because he has the violence and he has the power to do anything he wants." Sokka was freely fidgeting now, not that Zuko minded. Zuko understood what Sokka needed, he needed someone to _listen_. The world had been insane and Sokka had felt like his opinions had been washed away in all the noise. But now they were both in a back corner of the gas station where Zuko worked, and Sokka could be seen. "Even if he _doesn't_ , then his supporters will get violent, it'll get worse. I don't know. I don't _know_ , and that's just terrifying because I want... so much for Biden to win, at least to take a step away from the fascism that that orange fucker is introducing, but I can't help but feel like he'll just get bolder and bolder with making things worse for people like you and me." Sokka leaned his head against the wall. "We've only had the chance for legal marriage for us for only 5 years. He could take that away, he'd find a way to do that. I just don't want him to ruin our chance at happiness." Sokka turned his head towards Zuko. "You feel me, bro?"

Zuko paused. "I think I do." Okay, advice-giving time. "I- we can't give up."

Sokka's voice was broken, defeated. "Maybe sometimes it's better to call it quits before you fail."

"No. It's not." Zuko stated. "We're going to fail a lot before things work out. We have failed a lot."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "That's supposed to make me feel better?" Zuko frowned.

"That's not it. Even though we'll probably fail over and over and over again..." Zuko trailed off, trying to phrase the next section. Sokka turned away.

"Seriously, not helping," Sokka said. Zuko knew it wasn't malicious and Sokka was just... afraid, stressed, defeated, but Zuko knew his words could affect Sokka. They had to be not the perfect ones, but the right ones. He put his hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"We have to try every time. We can't quit because we might fail. That's what the other side is counting on, making us give up so they can keep winning, but every time we get up. We have to. We _have_ to." Zuko paused. "You have to."

Sokka didn't say anything, face turned away from Zuko's so Zuko couldn't see his expressions. Finally, after what felt like forever, Sokka spoke. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Zuko smiled. "I don't know, can you tell me again?"

Sokka smirked as he leaned into Zuko. "Shut up, jerkface." And he pressed his lips to Zuko's. Their kiss felt like hope.

-

**Azula**

Azula was decently shocked to see the president in the parking lot of Socket's workplace. The small, orange-faced figure on the phone's screen was droning on and on. He was talking so much in a voice that could easily be tuned out how did people even listen to him? Jin was scrolling through Pinterest, her free hand holding Azula's. The sound of a heavy metal door opening. Azula glanced towards the noise, noticing Mei and Ty Lee slunk into the store, leaned against each other and both considerably redder than they were when they went out- and it wasn't because of the weather.

"Did you have fun making out?" Azula said. Predictably, both of them froze in place, both blushing even more. "So you did," Azula said with satisfaction. Azula leaned into Jin. "Remember when we first made out when you when we thought we were straight?" Ty Lee leaned her head into Mei's shoulder, no doubt hiding her blushing face. Mei drew up their scarf over their face. The back of their hair was messy like it had been pressed against the brick wall of the outside. Hm, busy makeout session.

Jin giggled, pressing a kiss to Azula's cheek. "Yeah, that was a wild time." Jin set down her phone to wipe a fake tear from her eye. "Look at the baby gays, all grown up."

Azula kept a smug grin on her face as she met Mei's stony, unimpressed glare. "At least I figured out I was nonbinary before you figured out you were trans."

Azula put an offended hand to her heart. "I figured out I was lesbian before you figured out you were sapphic." Jin snorted. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Jin's small smile betrayed her. "Only that I figured out I was bi-ace before all of you." Azula narrowed her eyes at Jin, who only gave a cheeky grin. Eugh, it was hard to stay mad at a face like that.

Jet from over at the counter sighed. "Girls, gays, we get it, you're both pretty. What's the deets on orange-face?"

Azula glanced down at her phone where the video was still playing. More talking. "Nothing much, wheat-mouth-boy, more blah-blah-blah about how he's winning and how good ol' America is the best." Jet seemed offended.

"Hey, my wheat is a representation of the Midwest, where I'm from." 

Sokka, who had been in the back corner probably making out with Azula's brother, piped up. "I've been in the Midwest, literally where you lived. No one has wheat in their mouths."

Everyone chose to ignore this sentiment in favour of some commotion happening on the screen.

"Gays, they just said something." Azula snapped, silencing the conversations. She turned up the volume. The few words they said were just enough. Azula grinned so much her cheeks might hurt. She gripped Jin's hand in excitement. "FAMILY DISAPPOINTMENTS, THEY JUST CALLED THE ELECTION! BIDEN WON FUCKERS!"

"Which network?" The president's voice carried through the phone audio.

"All of them."

The gas station broke out in cheers.

**Yue**

Yue didn't know what she was doing. It was probably really dumb. Actually, very dumb. But it would certainly make Biden winning (the lesser of the two evils) memorable.

She took Suki's face into her's and smashed their lips together. Suki was surprised but she was- kissing back?! Yue closed her eyes, leaning into the other girl's embrace. From somewhere that was suspiciously close to where Sokka and Zuko were was wolf-whistling and Jet was probably too elated to enforce his 'no kissing' rule.

"Hey." Suki was breathless, red lipstick slightly smudged.

"Hey." The smiling on Yue's face was enough to hurt. Happiness bubbled up in her, spilling over the sides and into the air. It was everything she had wanted for so long. "We won."

Suki's grin mirrored her own. "We won."

Their kiss felt like victory.

**Author's Note:**

> Mei is a dramatic angsty poetry/greek tragedy person, I don't make the rules sorry. Also for all of you saying how Hyacinth dies, you're wrong because Apollo resurrects him.
> 
> Listen,,,,, Sokka deserves comfort.
> 
> I find it very nice that I only use Tr*mp's name with full spelling like only 8 times. And 7 of those times were because I was directly quoting tweets.
> 
> Sokka: *passionate speech about the hopelessness he feels under the chance that Tr*mp could win and about how he wants a chance at happiness with Zuko*  
> Sokka: You feel me, bro?
> 
> Yes I copied the boiling rock speech. Shhhh.
> 
> A nice alternate title: I Feel Love In This Gas Station Tonight
> 
> I now realize there are a lot of kiss scenes. To that I say add some more.
> 
> *posh author voice* I think this story is about hope, the fact that Suki works at a sex shop is for flavour. The crematorium represents how only mei would work at a crematorium and Ty Lee worked there because mei did but then found that she really liked it because she's good at consoling people. Azula is trans because fuck the transphobes.  
> *posh interviewer voice* Oh wow so inspiring.
> 
> Basically I'm saying fuck it and ending it here because it is 11pm and i have no fucks left to give.
> 
> Also the making the different kisses metaphors for the state of the world was actually a complete accident but yeah I gues it wosrks/.
> 
> shut the fuck up of course its not good writing this is a goddamn for seasons toal landsacaping au


End file.
